Electric switch



A. RAPPL ELECTRIC SWITCH Nov. l, 1949.

Filed June 26, 1946 d! w1 n w E 7o wm wn lm A a /AY f B 2 w 3 oo r 6 l uIl Il 4 j l MW 0.,. www l? H H4 m Va/ ffy.

Patented Nov. 1, 1949 ELECTRIC SWITCH Anton Rappl, Eggertsville, N. Y.,assignor to Trico Products Corporation, Buffalo, N. Y.

Application June 26, 194.6, Serial No. 679,346

13 Claims. (Cl. 20G-6) This invention relates to electrical switches andprimarily to a two-way switch in which the actuator is selectively movedin one direction or the other to effect the closing of one or the otherof two circuits.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an electric switch ofsimple construction which may be economically produced by massproduction methods and one which is of durable and practical design.

A- further object of the invention is to provide an electric switchhaving its several parts designed to be readily assembled into aninterlocked unity; and further to provide a switch of this characterwhich is capable of being operated momentarily to secure a closedcircuit for a brief time interval.

The foregoing and other objects will manifest themselves as thefollowing description progresses, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional View through an improved switch embodyingthe present invention;

Fig. 2` is a similar View through the switch casing or housing taken atright angles to the plane of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are plan and side elevational views respectively of theterminal carrying block;

Figs. 5 and 6 are views in side and front elevations respectively of theswitch knob or actuating lever; and

Fig. 7 is a detailed view through a modied embodiment of the terminalblock.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral I designates aninverted cup-shaped casing having a side wall 2 and a top wall 3 fromwhich latter depends a concentric shell 4 terminating short of the loweredge of the inverted cup shaped body I and forming a chamber orsocket I3to receive a terminal carrying block 5.

The terminal block 5 has a centrally located contact point 6 and onopposite sides thereof other contact points 1 and B. These contactpoints are mounted in the block 5 of insulating material to the circuitwires 6', 'I' and 8' respectively. The contacts 'I and 8 may projectupwardly above the flat face of the contact block 5 while contact 6 iscountersunk within a socket 9 for more readily holding the coil springI0 in place. Since the spring telescopes the contact point 6, it will beheld against displacement therefrom in the absence of thesocket. Such anarrangement is seen in Fig. '7 wherein the contact Ba projects from theupper face of the block- 5a. 55

The inner wall of the chamber is provided with a rib II to t a groove I2in the periphery of the terminal block 5 to thereby insure the properplacement of the block within the chamber. The chamber is formed with areduced extension I4 which forms a shoulder I5 to support the terminalblock 5 where it is held in placeby peening over the rim I6 of theshell.

The terminal block when correctly positioned within its chamber willhave its contact points 6, 'I and 8 disposed in a plane which extendssubstantially normal to the axis of the pivotal mounting for theactuating lever. This actuator I 'I has oppositely extending trunnionsI8 pivoting in bearings I9 provided within the chamber extension I4. Acontact bridging plate in the form of a disk 20 is flexibly supported bythe coil spring Ill, the upper end of which is received within a cap 2|.The cap may protrude through the plate and center itself within a recess22 in the actuator I'I. If desired, an insulating disk 23 may beinterposed between the rockable actuator and the contact plate 20.

The entire assemblage of parts provides a contact plate yeldablysuspended above the contact points 'I and 8 and adapted to be tiltedinto contact with either one of said switch points. The contact plate,being electrically connected to the hot terminal 6 through the springI0, will therefore close the selected circuit in accordance with thedirection in which the cap is caused to dip by the actuator. The bottomedge of the actuator I'I may be beveled in opposite directions as shownat 24 to accentuate the rocking movement of the actuator.

The top wall 3 of the cup shaped body I may be increased in thickness tomore readily receive the chamber extension I4, such upward extensionbeing indicated by the numeral 25 in Fig. 2. This body extension may becontinued upwardly, if desired, upon opposite sides of the rockableactuator I'I and carry a transverse bar 2S which overlies the outer endof the actuator, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. The actuator has its foreand aft portions flaring outwardly to project in opposite directionsfrom beneath the cross bar for being readily engaged by the thumb ornger, the extension being shaped along arcuate lines on opposite sidesof the cross bar, as at 21, to nestingly receive the nger whendepressing the actuator in one direction orv the other. The springserves to normalize the actuator, urging it to an upright neutralposition from which it may be rocked to opposite sides. The cross barprovides a' steadying support for thenger when so depressing theactuator and thereby enables the switch to be quickly operated for abrief interval of time.

The switch may be mounted in any desired manner, such as by having ears28 extending outwardly from the base of the body I to receive attachingscrews 29.

The construction is of simple design and durable construction. Theswitch casing may readily be formed by a simple die casting procedure. Aterminal block is supported elevated above the plane of the lower edgeof the casing to facilitate the mounting of the switch on a wall thecasing having marginal notches 30 through which the wires may becarried. In assembling the parts the actuator may be initially droppedinto the inverted casing so as to engage the trunnions I8 in thebearings I9. Thereafter the contact plate 2E) and the spring I0 will bedisposed within the chamber extension I4 along with their associatedpartsy and this will be followed by the placement of the terminal block5 and the peening over of the rim I6 so as to lock the parts in onecomposite whole.

While the foregoing description has been given in detail, it is apparentthat the inventive principles may be incorporated in other physicalembodiments without departing from the spirit of the invention and thescope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A two-way switch comprising a body part having a chamber with anopening through one wall and trunnion bearings in the chamber wall onopposite sides of the opening, a knob inserted through the opening andhaving trunnions detachably engaged in the bearings for rocking action,the trunnions and their bearings having flat faces in full facialcontact when the knob is in an intermediate position from which it maybe moved in either direction by rocking the trunnion flat face on thebearing ilat face, a contact bearing member fixed in the chamber, and aspring interposed between the contact bearing member and the knob andacting to hold the flat faces of the trunnions and bearings fullyengaged.

2. A two-way switch comprising a body part having a chamber with anopening through one wall and trunnion bearings in the chamber wall onopposite sides of the opening, a knob inserted through the opening andhaving trunnions detachably engaged in the bearings for rocking action,a contact bearing member xed in the chamber, and a spring interposedbetween the contact bearing member and the knob and acting to hold thetrunnions of the latter in their bearings, said body part havingportions extending on opposite sides of the knob and outwardly beyondthe latter to provide a linger rest.

3. A switch having a body part provided with an opening in one wallthereof, said body part having portions tapering outwardly and joinedtogether by a cross bar to form a finger resty a rockable actuatorpivotally arranged in the opening and having linger contact portionsnormally extending outwardly in opposite directions from beneath thecross bar, and circuit closing means carried by the body and having apart engaged by the actuator for being rocked thereby to a circuitclosing position.

l. A switch having a chamber casing provided with an opening in one wallthereof, said casing having portions extending outwardly and joinedtogether by a cross bar to form a finger rest, a

rockable actuator arranged in the casing opening and having fingercontact portions extending outwardly in opposite directions from beneaththe cross bar, circuit closing means carried by the casing and having apart engaged by the actuator for being rocked thereby into Contact witha contact point on the casing for closing a circuit, and a normalizingspring interposed between the casing and said switch part and actingthrough the latter to restore the actuator to a neutral position beneaththe cross bar.

5. A switch having a chambered body provided with an opening in one wallthereof and having portions extended outwardly and joined together by across bar to form a nger rest, a rockable actuator arranged in the bodyopening and having finger contact portions extending outwardly inopposite directions from beneath the cross bar, and circuit closingmeans carried by the body and having a part engaged by the actuator forbeing rocked thereby to a circuit closing position, the body portions onopposite sides of the cross bar being of arcuate shape to conformablyreceive the actuating nger of the hand, and the oppositely extendingportions of the actuator normally extending beyond such shaped portionsof the body.

6. A switch having a body formed with an opening therethrough andtrunnion bearings on opposite sides of the opening, an actuator arrangedin the opening and having trunnions on its inner end detachably engagedin the bearings for rocking movement, a contact bridging member carriedby the inner end of the actuator for rocking therewith, and contactmeans cooperating with the bridging member for closing a circuittherethrough.

'1. A switch having a body part formed with an opening therethrough andadjacent fiat trunnion bearings, an actuator arranged in the opening andhaving trunnions with flat faces engaging the flat bearings for rockingmovement, a contact bridging member carried by the inner end of theactuator for being rocked thereby, and contact means cooperating withthe bridging member for closing a circuit therethrough, said contactmeans including a spring acting to hold the bridging member operativelyengaged with the actuator and to hold yieldably the flat faces of thetrunnions engaged with the bearing flats.

8. A switch comprising a body having a socket with an opening in thebottom wall of the socket, an actuator inserted through the socket anddetachably engaged in the opening for rocking movement, a contact platearranged in the body and having a part detachably interfitting with theactuator, a contact bearing block opposing the plate, and a springinterposed between the block and the plate and holding the latter sointerlocked with the actuator for being rocked thereby.

9. A switch comprising a body having a socket with an internal shoulderon its side wall and an opening in its -bottom wall with a pair oftrunnion bearings in the bottom wall one at each side of the opening, anactuator arranged in the opening and having trunnions detachably engagedin the bearings, the trunnions and their bearings having substantiallyflat faces cooperating to restore the actuator to a normal intermediateposition, a contact plate rockable in either direction by the actuatorto selectively close one or the other of two circuits, a contact bearingblock arranged in the socket and seating on the shoulder in spacedrelation to the contact plate, and a spring interposed between the blockand the plate and acting through the latter upon the at faces tonormalize the actuator.

10. A switch comprising a body having a socket with an internal shoulderon its side Wall and an opening in its bottom wall with a pair oftrunnion bearings in the bottom wall one at each side of the opening, anactuator arranged in the opening and having trunnions detachably engagedin the bearings, a contact plate seating on the inner end of theactuator and interlockable therewith upon relative axial movementbetween the actuator and the'contact plate, a contact bearing blockseating on the shoulder in spaced relation to the plate, and a springinterposed between the block and the plate and normally acting to holdthe latter in an open circuit position and also acting to hold thetrunnions in their bearing and the contact plate so interlocked with theactuator.

ll. A two-way switch comprising a body part having a chamber with anopening through one wall and trunnion bearings in the chamber wall onopposite sides of the opening, a knob inserted through the opening andhaving trunnions detachably engaged in the bearings for rocking action,the inner end of the knob being formed with a recess, a disk arranged inthe chamber and having a part detachably engaged in the recess to relatethe disk to the knob for being rocked thereby to a circuit closingposition, a contact block arranged in the chamber beneath the disk inspaced relation thereto and having contact means engageable by the diskwhen rocked, and a coil spring interposed between the block and the diskand yieldably holding the latter spaced from said contact means, saidspring acting to hold the trunnions engaged in its bearings and the diskpart engaged in the knob recess.

12. A switch having a front wall provided with an opening, switch meansarranged to the rear of the wall, and an actuator for the switch meansextending through the wall opening and movable in opposite directionsfrom a neutral position to actuate the switch means, the front wallhaving portions on opposite sides of the actuator extending outwardlytherealong and joined together by a cross bar to form a nger restbeneath which the actuator is disposed in its neutral position, saidactuator having fore and aft portions flaring outwardly to extend toopposite sides of the nger rest to enable finger engagement foroperating the actuator in one direction or the other, with the fingerrest serving to support the nger in such operation of the actuator.

13. A switch having a chambered body provided with an opening in oneWall thereof and having a portion extended outwardly to form a fingerrest, a rockable actuator arranged in the body opening and having fingercontact portions extending outwardly in opposite directions from thenger rest, and circuit closing means carried by the body and having apart engaged by the actuator for being moved thereby to a circuitclosing position, the opposite sides of the finger rest forming portionattenuating outwardly to receive the actuating finger of the hand, andthe oppositely extending portions of the actuator normally extendingbeyond such finger rest portions of the body.

ANTON RAPPL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,912,623 Douglas June 6, 1933FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 440,662 Germany Feb. 11, 1927

